Support for fusees



Nov. 15, 1966 E. A. SMITH 3,285,550

SUPPORT FOR FUSEES Filed Nov. 5, 1964 EARLE A. SMITH Attorney UnitedStates Patent Ofi ice 3,285,550 Patented Nov. 15, 1966 3,285,550 SUPPORTFOR FUSEES Earle A. Smith, Brookfield, Wis., assiguor to GleasonCorporation, Milwaukee, Wis., a corporation of WIS- cousin Filed Nov. 5,1964, Ser. No. 409,202 7 Claims. (Cl. 248-46) This invention relates toan improved support for fusees, and more particularly to an integralfusee support which is simpler and less expensive in design, easier toassemble, and which is more stable than the devices heretofore used.

Warning flares, or so-called fusees, of the type herein concerned areused to alert approaching motorists of a stalled or parked vehicle on ahighway, or other emergency, as well as by railway crews and others.Such fusees include an elongated tubular body, and many have a supportor stand device attached thereto which is ordinarily carried in acollapsed condition folded against said body to permit the convenientstorage of the unit, and which stand is adapted to be set up to supportthe fusee in a substantially upright position when it is desired toutilize the same as a signal torch. Unfortunately, the devicesheretofore employed to support such flares are relatively complex andexpensive in design, and many of said prior supports are difficult andtime-consuming to assemble, which can be dangerous when a warning flareis required quickly for a highway emergency, and wherein the set-up timecan be critical.

With the above considerations in mind, the principal objects of thepresent invention are to provide an improved fusee stand which issimpler and less expensive than prior supports, and which improveddevice can be more easily and quickly assembled than said prior units.

A further important object is to provide an improved fusee supportcharacterized by continuousflat areas of substantial width, thusproviding a more stable support than the devices heretofore used, andone which will not sink down in the snow, and which relatively large andsturdy supporting structure is better able to withstand the damagingaffects of the elements.

A further object is to provide an improved fusee support which is sodesigned that the possibility of the lighted fusee being rolled oif thehighway by the wind is substantially eliminated, thus minimizing thepossibility of said fusee starting a fire.

A further object of the present invention is to provide a novel andimproved fusee support which is so designed that it will not obstructthe instructions or other printed material on the body of said fusee.

A still further object of the invention is to provide a novel andimproved fusee stand which is adapted to support the fuse-e in anon-vertical position, thus permitting molten material and spatter tofall directly to the ground, rather than running down the body of saidfusee and destroying said support.

With the above and other objects in view, which other objects andadvantages will become apparent hereinafter, the invention comprises theimproved fusee support described in the following specification andclaims, and all equivalents thereof.

In the accompanying drawing, illustrating a preferred embodiment of theinvention, and wherein the same reference numerals designate the sameparts in all of the views:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing a fusee being supported in anoperative position;

FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing the support device folded partiallyaround and against the fusee body for compact storage or shipment; and

FIG. 3 is a plan view of the blank from which the novel fusee support isformed.

With respect now more particularly to FIGS. 1 and 2 of the drawing, aconventional signal torch, or fusee, of the type herein concernedincludes an elongated cylindrical body 10 of any desired length ordiameter formed of paperboard or other consumable material, and whichbody is filled with a slow-burning combustible chemical substance, therebeing means for igniting said material in the upper end 11 of said body,as is well known in the art. In the use of such a Warning signal device,if a trucker or motorist should become stalled on or adjacent a highway,or be involved in an accident, or is stopped in a highway right of wayfor any reason, one or more of said fusees are placed out in the roadand ignited to warn approaching vehicles, and to thereby minimize thepossibility of collision. Ordinarily it is desirable to arrange thefusees at an angle from the vertical so that the molten material emittedthereby will not run down the fusee body and prematurely destroy theflare-supporting stand, and it has also been found that said fusees burnmuch better when inclined somewhat. Such fiares burn with a brightfluorescence which is readily visible .for a considerable distance.

In the past, some fusees were provided with steel spikes in their lowerends which could be driven into the ground to maintain said fusees in anupright position, or they were provided with metal supporting stands. Inaddition to the fact that such supports were. relatively expensive,however, it was not infrequent that a passing vehicle would run over thediscarded fusee and puncture or severely damage its tires. As a result,the laws in some States now prohibit the use of fusees with metallicspikes or wire supporting devices. For this reason, a number ofcollapsible supports have been designed in recent years to permit theupright positioning of a fusee on the highway or ground without the useof metal spikes or the like, but, unfortunately, such supports areeither relatively complex or expensive in design, or they are difficultand time-consuming to set up, which can be dangerous in the event of ahighway emergency. It is with these shortcomings of such priornon-metallic fusee supports in mind that the present invention has beendesigned. As hereinabove mentioned, and as will become apparent in thefollowing description, the present invention is not only simpler andless expensive than prior supports, but it can be more quickly assembledwhen it is necessary to use the fusee as a warning signal, as well ashaving several other important advantages, as will be seen.

In accordance with the present invention, and referring now moreparticularly to FIG. 3 of the drawing, the support 14 is formed of ablank of inexpensive, suitably stiff material having a degree ofresiliency, such as paperboard or cardboard (although numerous othermaterials can also be utilized without departing from the invention),and said blank includes an end section 15, adjacent intermediatesections 16 and 17, and a relatively small end portion 18, said sectionsbeing defined by grooved or creased transverse fold lines 20, 21 and 22,respectively, formed therein. As is illustrated in FIG. 3, theintermediate section 17 is tapered toward the end 18, and the latter isof substantially less width than the blank proper.

Said blank 14 also includes a pair of spaced longitudinal grooved foldlines 24 and 25, and the small end section 18 is provided with aplurality of parallel fold lines 27, 2.8 and 29. With respect to thelatter section, the aforementioned transverse line 22 defining said endmember includes scored portions 22 extending inwardly from the outeredges thereof to the fold lines 27 and 29, thus permitting said endportion to be partially separated and defiected relative to the blank toform a tab for the attachment of the support to a fusee body. Formed inthe central portion of the blank end section is an aperture 31, andformed in the adjacent section 16 an equal distance from the transversecrease line 20 separating said sections is an aperture 32, saidapertures being of approximately the same diameter as the fusee body 10,and being designed to frictionally slidably receive the same when theblank is set up to support said fusee, as will be described.

In the manufacture and assembly of a fusee incorporating the novelsupport device comprising the invention, the end section or tab 18 isfirst bonded, stapled or otherwise permanently secured to .the fuseebody at a fixed point spaced above the lower end 12 of said fusee, andwith the main portion of the blank extending thereabove. Due to theplural fold lines 27, 28 and 29 therein, said tab 18 can be readilyarranged in a position partially surrounding said cylindrical fuseebody, to provide maximum surface contact therebetween, but it isimportant that said tab does not completely surround the fusee andobscure the instructions and other printed material thereon, as do someprior fusee supports utilizing slidable collars, and the like.

With the tab 18 attached .to the fusee as described, the main portion ofthe support blank is formed around said fusee by folding said blankalong the aforementioned longitudinal crease lines 24 and 25. Thus theblank is arranged in a compact condition closely partially surroundingthe fusee body, as shown in FIG. 2, and it may be removably secured insaid position by any suitable retaining means, such as the illustratedtape 34. With the support 14 thus compactly arranged, a number of fuseescan be packed in a relatively small space, for convenient and economicalstorage or shipment.

When itis desired to use the fusee, the motorist or police oflicer, orother user, first pulls the tape 34 or other retaining member off thefusee upper portion, and the support device is swung downwardly aboutthe hinge line 22 connecting the same to the tab 18, said device beingpositioned with the intermediate section 17, hereinafter referred to asthe brace member, extending downwardly and outwardly at an angle, asshown in FIG. 1, the resiliency of the blank material causing saidsupport to flatten out, from its prior, longitudinally-folded condition.The intermediate section 16, hereinafter called the first leg, is thenswung upwardly and inwardly beneath said brace about the hinge line 21,and the section 15, or second leg, is swung downwardly and outwardly onthe hinge 20. When said brace and leg portions are thus arranged, theaforementioned apertures 31 and 32 in said legs are in substantialalignment with each other, and the lower end 12 of the fusee is theninserted into and through said apertures so that the support assumes thegeneral position illustrated in FIG. 1. As hereinabove described, saidapertures 31 and 32 are of a diameter to closely slidably surround thecylindrical fusee body 10, thus permitting said support device lowerportion to be slidably adjusted on the fusee body as desired.

As appears in FIG. 1, when the fusee, together with the assembledsupport 14, is rested on the ground the interconnected brace and legmembers 17 and 16 form a downwardly and outwardly directed element whichengages the ground along the outer edge 21 thereof, thus cooperatingwith the fusee bottom 12, or the lower edge of the leg 15, to provide astable support which is adapted to maintain said fusee in an inclined,generally upright position. As mentioned, it is deirable to mount thefusee at an angle from the vertical in order to promote the burningthere-of, and also to allow the molten material to fall to the groundwithout running down the fusee body and onto the support, which candestroy said support before the flare has fulfilled its purpose. Due tothe slidably-adjusted nature of the support leg members 15 and 16 on thefusee lower end, said support can be readily shifted to obtain anydesired fusee angle of inclination. Moreover, the natural resiliency ofthe blank material tends to bias said legs apart, thus urging theapertures 31 and 32 out of alignment and yieldably locking said supportlower portion against inadvertent sliding movement on the fusee bodyonce said legs have been set as desired.

In actual practice, it has been found that a trucker or other user canassemble the fusee support comprising the present invention in less thanfive seconds, thereby conserving valuable time in the event of anemergency. This is particularly important, of course, in case of abreakdown or accident at night on a busy highway.

The relatively wide, fiat design of the present fuseesupporting deviceprovides an unusually stable and rigid stand, thereby minimizing thepossibility of said warning signal being upset by the wind, or by aircurrents created by passing vehicles. In addition, the continuous, wide,flat surfaces characterizing said stand permit the same to be rested onsnow or the like without sinking down therein, unlike many conventionalfusee supports. An-

other important advantage of the present structure is that because theupper, tab portion 18 of the assembled stand is permanently secured tothe fusee body, and cannot shift or slip off of the same in .the eventthe fusee should be tipped over, said support effectively prevents thewind from rolling the lighted fusee off the road, where it could start aserious fire.

From the foregoing detailed description it will be seen that the presentinvention provides a novel and improved fusee support having a number ofadvantages over prior devices intended for the same general purpose. Notonly can said improved support be compactly arranged on the fusee bodyfor convenient storage of said flares when they are not in use, but saiddevice can be set up to support the fusee in an operative position in aminimum of time. Moreover, the present device is adapted to be formedfrom a blank of inexpensive material, and the simplicity of its designpermits said Support to be die cut in a single operation, thus furtherreducing manufacturing costs. Still other advantages of the invention,as hereinabove described, are that it is more stable than priornon-metallic fusee supports, it is less susceptible to the damagingafiects of rain and snow, it is designed to minimize the possibility ofthe burning fusee being blown off the road, it does not obstruct thewritten material on the fusee body, and said novel device can be readilyadjusted to support the fusee at any d sired angle.

It is to be understood, of course, that while a pr ferred form of theinvention has been illustrated and described herein, numerousmodifications or variations therein will undoubtedly occur to thoseskilled in the art, and it is intended to cover herein not only theexact structure disclosed, but also any and all modified forms thereofas may come within the spirit of said invention and within the scope ofthefollowing claims.

What I claim is:

1. A support for an elongated, cylindrical fusee, comprising: a tabmember secured to said fusee at a point spaced above the lower endthereof; a brace member hingedly connected to said tab and swingable toa position extending downwardly and outwardly therefrom; a first leghingedly connected to and along the outer edge of said brace member andswingable to a position extending upwardly and inwardly therebeneath,said leg having an aperture through which the lower end of said fuseecan be removably slidably projected; and a second leg member hingedlyconnected to and along the inner edge of said first leg and swingable toa position extending downwardly and outwardly therebeneath, said secondleg having an aperture therethrough also adapted to removably receivethe lower end of said fusee.

2. A fusee support as recited in claim 1, and said brace and leg membershaving longitudinal fold lines formed therein, whereby when said membersare swung about their hinge connections to a raised position above saidtab they can be folded therealong to closely surround said fusee.

3. A support for an elongated cylindrical fusee, comprising: a tabmember secured to and partially surrounding said fusee at a fixed pointspaced above the lower end thereof; a flat brace member hingedlyconnected to the upper edge of said tab and swingable to a positionextending downwardly and outwardly therefrom, said brace beingengageable with the ground when said fusee is rested on the ground in anupright, non-vertical position; a flat first leg hingedly connected toand along the outer edge of said brace member and swingable to aposition extending upwardly and inwardly therebeneath, said leg havingan aperture through which the lower end of said fusee can be removablyslidably projected; a second leg member hingedly connected to and alongthe inner edge of said first leg and swingable to a position extendingdownwardly and outwardly therebeneath, said second leg having anaperture therethrough to removably receive the lower end of said fusee;and said leg and brace members having longitudinal fold lines formedtherein, whereby when said apertured members are removed from the lowerend of the fusee and swung to a position above said tab they can befolded therealong to partially surround said fusee body.

4. A support for a *fusee having an elongated cylindrical body with anupper end and a lower end, said support being formed of a blank ofresilient material, comprising: a tab portion secured to and partiallysurrounding said fusee body at a fixed point spaced above the lower endthereof, said tab having partially-scored, creased fold lines thereinpermitting said tab to be arranged on and partially surrounding saidfusee body; a flat brace member hingedly connected to the upper edge ofsaid tab and swingable to a position extending downwardly and outwardlytherefrom at an angle, the outer, lower edge of said brace beingengageable with the ground when said fusee is positioned at an angle tothe vertical, and said brace member being of substantially greater widththan said tab; a flat wide first leg hingedly connected to and along theouter edge of said brace member and swingable to a position extendingupwardly and inwardly therebeneath, said leg having an aperture throughwhich the lower end of said fusee body can be removably slidablyprojected; a second flat, wide leg member hingedly connected to andalong the inner edge of said first leg and swingable to a positionextending downwardly and outwardly therebeneath, said second leg havingan aperture therethrough alignable with said first leg aperture and alsobeing adapted to slidably receive the lower end of said fusee, theresiliency of said material biasing said first and second legs apart tocause the same to frictionally engage said fusee body and lock saidsupport in position thereon.

5. A fusee support as recited in claim 4, and said brace and leg membershaving longitudinal fold lines formed therein, whereby when said membersare swung about their hinge connections to a raised position above saidtab they can be folded therealong to closely partially surround saidfusee body.

6. A support for an elongated, cylindrical fusee, comprising: anattachment portion secured to said fusee at a point spaced above thelower end thereof; a brace member hingedly connected to said attachmentportion and swingable to a position extending downwardly and outwardlytherefrom; a first leg hingedly connected to and along the outer edge ofsaid brace member and swingable to a position extending upwardly andinwardly therebeneath; a second leg member hingedly connected to andalong the inner edge of said first leg and swingable to a positionextending downwardly and outwardly therebeneath, and means associatedwith said leg members for adjustably engaing said fusee.

7. A fusee support as recited in claim 6, and said brace and leg membershaving longitudinal fold lines formed therein, whereby when said membersare swung about their hinge connections to a raised position above saidattachment portion they can be folded along said fold lines to closelysurround said fusee.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,923,794 8/ 1933Noland 24848 2,612,866 10/1952 Abbott 248174 X 2,795,387 6/1957 Elsey248-46 CLAUDE A. LE ROY, Primary Examiner.

JOHN PETO, Examiner.

1. A SUPPORT FOR AN ELONGATED, CYLINDRICAL FUSEE, COMPRISING: A TABMEMBER SECURED TO SAID FUSEE AT A POINT SPACED ABOVE THE LOWER ENDTHEREOF; A BRACE MEMBER HINGEDLY CONNECTED TO SAID TAB AND SWINGABLE TOA POSITION EXTENDING DOWNWARDLY AND OUTWARDLY THEREFROM; A FIRST LEGHINGEDLY CONNECTED TO AND ALONG THE OUTER EDGE OF SAID BRACE MEMBER ANDSWINGABLE TO A POSITION EXTENDING ING UPWARDLY AND INWARDLYTHEREBENEATH, SAID LEG HAVING AN APERTURE THROUGH WHICH THE LOWER END OFSAID FUSEE CAN BE REMOVABLY SLIDABLY PROJECTED; AND A SECOND LEG MEMBERHINGEDLY CONNECTED TO AND ALONG THE INNER EDGE OF SAID FIRST LEG ANDSWINGABLE TO A POSITION EXTENDING DOWNWARDLY AND OUTWARDLY THEREBENEATH,SAID SECOND LEG HAVING AN APERTURE THERETHROUGH ALSO ADAPTED TOREMOVABLY RECEIVE THE LOWER OF SAID FUSEE.